Quatre Chats sous un Pin

In this restaurant housed in a hotel on the banks of the River Loire, the wide-ranging menu lists traditional dishes alongside modern options to suit every taste. Highlights include breaded calf's head with a spicy tartare sauce, roasted fillet of John Dory with beurre noisette, lobster sauce and pain perdu, a pistachio, raspberry and white chocolate dome – and the delicious crémet d’Anjou.

This barn, built out of light wood with a polished concrete floor and a small lounge area, is the brainchild of a famous local organic seed producer. The poplar wood walls are lined with cases of bottles in tribute to the owner’s former profession of wine merchant, which also explains the splendid selection of organic and natural vintages. This nectar is perfectly suited to the chef’s simple, heart-warming, bistro nosh: a concise lunchtime menu; tapas to share in the evenings.